Headings Issues

The following issues in Siteimprove deal with headings, and they are generally easy to fix.

Headings are not structured

Heading levels should be structured like an outline. Headings should not skip levels. For example, an h3 (heading level 3) should not follow an h1 (heading level 1).

Content missing after heading

Headings should be used to give users an idea about content that follows. Sometimes, people will mistakenly use headings to visually emphasize text. If a heading has no associated content below it, then examine whether you need to change the heading to body text or add content after the heading.

Page does not start with a level 1 heading

In most cases, the first heading on a webpage should be an h1, the title of the page.

Empty headings

Heading tags with no content may not be visible to sighted users, but they could cause confusion for users of screen readers. A common way to create empty headings is by pressing RETURN to create space on the page while the heading style is active.

Sometimes, empty headings are caused by plugins that assume you will want titles and subtitles for page content. If you don’t enter text for those fields, the plugin will leave the empty tag in the code. Learn how to fix an empty heading in Kadence Blocks below.

Read the transcript for “Fixing an empty heading in Kadence Blocks”.

Page missing headings

Organizing your webpage into manageable chunks of information will help your users read and comprehend your content. Using headings appropriately will help users scan the information on your page. At the very least, every page should have an h1 that reflects the title of the page.

Page missing a title

Every webpage must have a title, which should be in the <title> tag. The title should also appear as the page’s first heading (h1).